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Course: Financial Accounting – MBA 504 -01 (57499)
Semester: Spring 2016
Instructor: Daniel B. Kerr, B.A, M.S., CPA, Ph.D.
Instructor Contact Information: (631) 655-7798; eMail: daniel.b.kerr@stonybrook.edu [Professor will
respond within 3 hours.]
Office Hours: Saturday 8:00am – 9:00am (Room TBD) or my appointment (eMail request)
Meeting Time/Location:
 Live Class in Harriman Hall on alternating Saturdays (see list of class meeting dates on Page #5)
– 9:20am to 12:00pm.
 Virtual Online Class on alternating Saturdays (see listing of class meeting dates on Page #5)
– 9:00am to 10:20am. (See Blackboard: SBConnect Room Link)
 Asynchronous eLearning activities posted on Blackboard for weeks we do not meet live (80
minutes to be determined by student).
Course Description: Introduction and exploration of basic financial accounting terminology, principles,
concepts, and their relevant business applications. This course will include the recording, summarization,
and adjustment of financial transactions and the preparation and presentation of the basic financial
statements. Other topics will include valuation methods for cash, accounts receivable, inventory and
property, plant and equipment. This course is also offered as EMP 502.
Course Overview: This course introduces students to the basic financial accounting terminology,
principles, concepts and their relevant applications. It will enable the student to begin to think and
communicate in a business, economic and financial environment. Students will consider and critically
evaluate the ethical issues related to financial accounting from the perspective of the independent auditor,
management, financial regulators, shareholders and society as a whole. Ethical dilemmas will include
auditor’s independence, executive compensation, manipulating earnings, financial reporting, revenues
recognition, inventory valuation, and change in accounting principle, manipulating financial position,
complex transactions, and manipulating financial ratios. Through a combination of discussion, lecture
and most importantly, illustrative exercises and problems, accounting principles and practices will be
illustrated, reinforced and expanded upon to achieve a basic understanding of financial accounting.
Required Texts & Other Course Materials:
1. Financial Accounting, 8th
edition, by Libby, Libby & Short (includes Connect Plus Accounting),
Irwin McGraw Hill Publishing [You will need the 8th
Edition for this course.]
2. Access to Blackboard for homework, discussion board, and class-related eMails.

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College of Business Program Level Goals and Objectives
This course will meet the following College of Business program level goals and objectives:
 Ethics and Social Responsibility: Apply ethical reasoning and ethical decision making
o Analyze ethical dilemmas from multiple ethical and stakeholder perspectives.
o Formulate actions consistent with stakeholder needs and organizational values.
 Global/Multicultural Perspective: Demonstrate knowledge of the global environment of business
and diversity, and how it impacts business
o Illustrate competencies required to compete in the global environment in their analyses.
 Critical Thinking Skills: Apply critical thinking to business problems
o Identify and evaluate business problems utilizing appropriate models, methodologies and
technology.
o Synthesize diverse information to analyze and implement business decisions.
 Leadership and Team Interaction: Work effectively and collaboratively
o Demonstrate the ability to influence others, collaborate, and encourage cooperation
toward organizational goals.
Course Specific Learning Outcomes
At a minimum, after completing this course, you should be able to:
 Prepare journal entries, adjustments and the basic financial statements.
 Analyze and assess a company's operational performance and financial position using various
financial statement ratios.
 Prepare bank reconciliations and the related adjusting entries.
 Understand Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial
Reports Standards (IFRS), their use and application in transactional reporting and financial
statement preparation and presentation.
Course Requirements & Grading Information:
Testing/Grading: Grade
Exam #1 25%
Exam #2 25%
Exam #3 25%
Classroom Contribution 25%
The exams are comprised of a combination on multiple choice questions similar to the multiple choice
questions at the end of each chapter and problems similar to the homework exercises and problems.
Students are required to participate actively in live and virtual class discussions and in Blackboard
Discussions. The Classroom Contribution portion of the grade is determined by an objective assessment
of your contribution to these discussions and the class as a whole. This contribution is especially
important during the virtual classroom sessions where you are expected to ask questions, provide
insights, share experiences, and fully participate in the online discussions. Please see the Classroom
Contribution TAB on Blackboard for examples of Classroom Contribution as well as the self-
assessment form.
Attendance: Students are required to attend class. Excessive absences may result in a reduction of the
overall grade received. The instructor on an individual basis will determine excessive absences.

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Estimated Student Workload: Students should plan on spending at least four to six hours a week
outside of class reading the text, viewing posted mini-lectures online, doing the homework, studying the
material and participating in Blackboard discussions. See the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 Quantitative
Instructor Evaluations summaries posted on Blackboard for a distribution of hours spent outside of class
by students in previous semesters.
Homework: Completion of all the homework assignments is required. These assignments are necessary
to develop and assess your mastery of the course material and will serve as the focus of much of the class
discussion. You simply will not pass the course if you do not complete the homework assignments.
These assignments often serve as the basis of our live and virtual classroom discussions. All of the
homework assignments for the entire semester are listed on Page # 6 and most of them are to be
completed through Blackboard (see Assignments TAB).
Academic Integrity: Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally
accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong.
Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary.
For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty
please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/
Academic Dishonesty: The College of Business regards any act of academic dishonesty as a major
violation punishable by severe penalties, including dismissal from the University. University policy
requires that instructors and GAs and TAs report all suspected cases of academic dishonesty to the
appropriate Academic Judiciary Committee, which is empowered to take strong action against violators.
Under no circumstances will the College of Business permit cheating of any kind. Many activities
constitute academic dishonesty. The following list is not inclusive, only suggestive:
 Cheating on exams or assignments by the use of books, electronic devices, notes, or other aids
when these are not permitted, or by copying from another student.
 Collusion: two or more students helping one another on an exam or assignment when it is not
permitted.
 Ringers: taking an exam for someone else, or permitting someone else to take one's exam.
Submitting the same paper in more than one course without permission of the instructors.
 Plagiarizing: copying someone else's writing or paraphrasing it too closely, even if it constitutes
only some of your written assignment.
 Submitting the same paper in more than one course without approval of the instructors.
 Falsifying documents or records related to credit, grades, status (e.g., adds and drops, P/NC
grading), or other academic matters.
 Altering an exam or paper after it has been graded in order to request a grade change.
 Stealing, concealing, destroying, or inappropriately modifying classroom or other instructional
material, such as posted exams, library materials, laboratory supplies, or computer programs.
 Preventing relevant material from being subjected to academic evaluation.
Americans with Disabilities Act: If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability
that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services at (631) 632-6748. They
will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and
documentation is confidential.

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Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with
their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following
website: http://www.sunysb.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities.shtml
Critical Incident Management: Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights,
privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of University
Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the
safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and
the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about
most academic matters can be found in the Graduate Bulletin, the Graduate Class Schedule, and the
Faculty-Employee Handbook.
Blackboard: You must access class information on-line through Blackboard. You simply cannot pass
the curse without utilizing Blackboard at: http://blackboard.sunysb.edu. You will be required to go to
Blackboard for assignments and discussions throughout the week (not just on Saturdays). If you have
used Stony Brook's Blackboard system previously, your login information (Username and Password) has
not changed. If you have never used Stony Brook's Blackboard system, your initial password is your
SOLAR ID# and your username is the same as your Stony Brook (sparky) username, which is generally
your first initial and the first 7 letters of your last name.
If you are having trouble logging into Blackboard, you will need to log into SOLAR to verify your Net
ID username & set your Net ID Security Question and Password. For more information, visit:
http://clientsupport.stonybrook.edu/ If you are a student and continue to have a problem logging into
Blackboard, you will need to bring photo ID to either the Melville Library SINC Site Room S1460 or the
Union SINC Site Room 080 and speak to a Blackboard Administrator from Monday - Friday from 9 am -
5 pm.
Assessment of student work (see Page # 2 for calculation of point average)
Average Course
Grade
Average Course
Grade
Average Course
Grade
90-100 A 80-84 B 70-74 C
88-89 A- 78-79 B- 67-69 C-
85-87 B+ 75-77 C+ Below 67 F

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Class Meeting Dates (a)
Class # Date Description
1 1/30/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
2 2/6/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
3 2/13/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
4 2/20/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
5 2/27/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
6 3/5/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
7 3/12/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
3/19/16 SPRINCE RECESS NO CLASS
8 3/26/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
9 4/2/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
10 4/9/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
11 4/16/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
12 4/23/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
13 4/30/16 Virtual Online Class + Asynchronous eLearning Online Assignments
14 5/7/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
15 5/14/16 Live Class in Harriman #111
(a) Please view this planned listing of meeting dates and class formats as being flexible. We may need to adjust our schedule in response to our experience. Any
changes to the course outline will be discussed in class and reflected in a later version which will be posted on Blackboard.
Please see the related Spring 2016 Graduate Calendar (posted on Blackboard) for last date to drop course on SOLAR, last date for making up incompletes, last day
for placement ion waitlisted courses, last day to drop course on other SBU set dates. If any scheduled live class is cancelled because of inclement weather, we will
switch to a virtual class that night. Use the virtual class link on Blackboard to enter the virtual classroom.

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Tentative Topics & Homework Assignments (b)
Date Chpt. # Topic/Activity Homework Activity (Please note key
below: E; P; CC; COMP; CP; MINI)
E = Exercise P = Problem
CC = Continuing Case
COMP = Comprehensive Problem
CP = Critical Thinking Cases (c)
MINI = Mini-Exercises
1 Financial Statements and Business Decisions E 1, 2, 4, 6,13; P 1; CP 6; CC 1
2 Investing and Financing Decisions and the Balance
Sheet
E 1,3,5,7; P 3; CP 8; CC 1
3 Operation Decisions and the Income Statement E 1, 2, 3,4; P 3; CP 7; CC 1
4 Adjustments, Financial Statements, and the Quality of
Earnings
E 7,10,11; COMP 2; CP 8; CC 1
1-4 Exam #1
6 Reporting and Interpreting Sales Revenue, Receivables,
and Cash
E 3,5,6,10; P 5,6; CP 6; CC 1
7 Reporting and Interpreting Cost of Goods Sold and
Inventory
E 1, 2, 5; P 3; CP 7; CC 1
8 Reporting and Interpreting Property, Plant, and
Equipment; Natural Resources; and Intangibles
E 2,5,13; P 5,6; CP 8; CC 1
6-8 Exam #2
9 Reporting and Interpreting Liabilities MINI 7,8,9,10,11; E 2,6,9,10 P 2; CP
4; CC 1
12 Statement of Cash Flows E 1, 2, 8,14; P 1,2; CP 6; CC 1
13 Analyzing Financial Statements E 1,5,7,8; P 3,4; CP 6
9, 12-13 Exam # 3
(b) Please view this planned list of topics and activities as being flexible. We may need to adjust our schedule in response to our experience. Any changes to the
course outline will be discussed in class and reflected in a later version which will be posted on Blackboard. Dates for exams will always be announced two weeks in
advance.
(c ) The Critical Thinking Cases (CP) are not available on ConnectPlus; you do not submit answers online. Please come to class prepared to discuss these cases.